ed,
as if he had thought out the whole scheme, and I then understood that
he had been mooning over it the past two months, determined to spring
it on us when the price of oysters dropped below what would be decent
wages.

Well, we didn't come to any conclusion that day, owing to my standing
back and throwing cold water; but we were bound to touch at the home
port, and Jerry bided his time until we were where information
regarding the fleet could be had.

CHAPTER II.

AT BENEDICT.

I had not supposed that the people of Benedict would know very much
concerning what was going on at the lower end of the bay; but the
Avenger was hardly more than at anchor when I understood that we could
have gone to no better place in order to learn what was being done.

We had but just come to anchor, not having time to set foot on the
shore, when Jim Freeman rowed over to us, his eyes bulging and every
freckle on his face standing out like pips on a gooseberry.

"What did you put in here for?" he cried before yet coming alongside.
"Are you hankerin' to have your pungy burned or sunk?"

"What's the matter, Jim?" Jerry cried. "You're actin' like as if
somethin' had gone wrong!"

"Gone wrong?" Jim exclaimed, and it did really look as if his eyes
would roll right down on his cheeks. "The whole bloomin' bottom has
dropped out of everything. The Britishers are comin' into the bay
thicker'n spatter, an' I don't see how you got in here without bein'
caught!"

"In here?" I cried in amazement. "Have you lost your wits that you
think the Britishers would come into the Patuxent river?"

"I reckon it's you that are needin' wits!" Jim cried as he scrambled
over the rail. "So you think they wouldn't come into the Patuxent,
eh?"

"Certainly not, and for the very good reason that there's nothing here
they want."

Jim looked at me in pity, and I afterward understood that there was
good reason for his so doing.

"How long have you been up Baltimore way?"

"Near to ten days," Jerry replied, hoping to hasten Jim in the telling
of the news with which he was near to bursting. "We had hard work to
sell our oysters at any price, an' then it fell a dead calm with
weather hot enough to tan a nigger."

"Then there's little wonder that you boys are way behind the times as
to what has been goin' on 'round here," and Jim threw out his chest as
he swelled with the importance of being the first to impart startling
news. "In the first place,"